Enrollment Policies and Process

• Application opens on October 1st.
• February 15th is the first priority application deadline for the lottery.
• February 16th is when the lottery will take place for students whose applications have been received.
• Families will be notified about the lottery results by Friday, March 3rd via call, email or letter
• Families must confirm by Monday, April 3rd to give other families on the waitlist opportunity for acceptance.

What is the open lottery process?

In the event that we receive more applicants than seats available, Hiawatha is required to conduct a lottery.

• In the event that it is needed the lottery will take place on February 16th.
• Families will be notified of their enrollment status after March 3rd.

• All new applications will be entered into the lottery. Enrollment will be determined based on the order selected from the lottery.

1. Currently enrolled students: Receive primary enrollment preference and will not be entered into the lottery.
2. Siblings or foster siblings of currently enrolled students: Siblings of currently enrolled students have preference before children of staff and general lottery applicants.
3. Children of staff: Children of staff receive preference before general lottery applicants.
4. General Lottery Enrollment: New student applications will be accepted on a rolling basis as long as spots remain open.

• Currently enrolled students: Receive primary enrollment preference.
• Siblings or foster siblings of currently enrolled students: Siblings of currently enrolled students have preference before children of staff and general lottery applicants. In the event of more siblings than spots available, a sibling lottery is held and establishes a sibling waiting list.
• Children of staff: Children of staff receive preference before prior year waiting list students and general lottery applicants. In the event of more children of staff applicants than spots available, a staff-children lottery is held and establishes a staff-children waiting list.
• General Lottery Enrollment: In the event that there are more new applicants than spots available, a lottery will be conducted. New student applications must be submitted by February 15th to be considered for the general lottery. The lottery is conducted from highest grade to lowest grade to fill all available enrollment spots. The lottery is also continued in order to assign waitlist positions based on the order selected.
• Siblings of enrolled students from the general lottery: In the event that a family has multiple siblings applying for more than one grade, sibling preference will apply as soon as enrollment is determined in the lottery grade. In the event, a sibling waiting list exists, the sibling of the general lottery enrolled student will be added to the sibling waitlist based on the order selected.

• Applications received after the February 15th deadline: Applications received AFTER the February 15th deadline will be placed on the general waitlist on a first come first serve basis following the lottery process.

Completing enrollment

In order to confirm enrollment at Hiawatha Academies, guardians fill out the confirmation form electronically.

Guardians are required to provide us with all their children's and household information pertaining to Hiawatha's policy and legal requirements. You can view the parent portal process called e-update here.

How old should my student be to be eligible for kindergarten?

New Kindergarten applications must be of age 5 on or before September 1st. Applicants who turn age 5 between September 2nd and December must undergo early childhood readiness testing.

• Indicate on their application for admission that the student will turn five between September 2 and December 31.
• Applications for Early K Admission will be considered immediately after Hiawatha’s general lottery. A child eligible for Early K will be admitted if space is available. While a spot may be offered, enrollment is contingent on meeting the following criteria within one month of the offer of contingent admission and prior to starting school.
  • Children must complete an Early Childhood Screening* before they may enroll in the school. Contact Early Childhood Screening at 612-668-3715 to schedule a screening appointment.
  • The screening results must be shared with the school office and reviewed by school leaders. If the child passes the four Developmental screens, they will be considered eligible for Kindergarten and may enroll. 

*In 2018 Hiawatha Academies began a partnership with Minneapolis’s Early Childhood Screening program, whose aim it is to provide a universal early childhood screen to all children in Minneapolis. The screen evaluates a student’s readiness for kindergarten, in addition to health and development that could impact a child’s learning. The screening is provided free of charge, regardless of the school the student plans to attend.

When is the first day of school?

Hiawatha Academies' first day of school is 3rd week of August. You will receive exact dates and information during the enrollment confirmation process.

Admittance during the school year

In the event that a spot is open after the first day of school but before the last day of school, and there is a child on a waitlist waiting to fill that spot, rolling enrollment will be limited to the following window, and during this window will always be on a “top of the waiting list first” basis. The window is from the first day of school to March 1st.

During the enrollment window, if a kindergarten applicant is selected off the waiting list to fill an available spot, the child must have attended another school or program that is subject to compulsory attendance during the school year.